Life Waits For No One
by YinYangCancer
Summary: With her team gone for three whole years, Sakura Haruno has no choice but to succeed.
1. Chapter 1: Beginnings

**Does anyone else get super butthurt whenever they see Sakura-bashing posts on Instagram or Twitter?**

 **Where would you like this story to go?**

 **Who would you want to see Sakura paired with?**

 **Let me know, please.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Non-massacre / alternate universe / sakura-centric

* * *

With her team gone for three whole years, Sakura Haruno has no choice but to succeed.

* * *

"Enter!"

Sakura nearly sprinted back to her home at the loud, irritated voice of her relatively new Hokage. Taking two deep breaths she steeled herself before pushing open the oak doors. Tsunade Senju sat behind a large wooden desk looking every bit as annoyed as she sounded.

"I don't have all day, kid. Either spit it out or leave."

Sakura choked on her saliva at the command. The woman's very being radiated power, making it quite clear she would tolerate no foolishness. The intricate plan she had been working on for two whole weeks dissolved into nothing and before her brain could catch up with her mouth, she roughly spit out, "Make me your apprentice!"

"Eh!?"

* * *

Tsunade smirked at the buzzing girl. Today was the first day of Sakura's physical training and the blond Hokage was sure her new apprentice had no idea what she got herself into. It had been a week since she had accepted the pathetically scrawny kid as her prodigy and so far, and before any type of training, Tsunade had made sure that the pinkette knew every word of _every_ medical text Konoha had to offer.

"Alright, brat." At the Hokage's commanding tone, Sakura straightened, falling into a determined persona. "What is the number one rule for a combat medic?"

Sakura pondered over the question, comparing what she read in the library to her knowledge of battles. "A combat medic must stay alive long enough for them to heal their teammates and in order to do so, they need to avoid being caught by an enemy ninja... So, they need to be able to avoid being hit?"

The blond's smirk widened as she nodded her head. "Yes, that is correct Sakura. What we will be working on today is _dodging_."

And when the first boulder went flying, Sakura wondered just _what had she done_.

* * *

Sakura stared at the wreckage she had just caused. She hadn't meant to destroy _a whole training ground._ It was the beginning of the fourth month of being Tsunade's apprentice and Sakura had finally managed to mirror the blond Senju's signature technique after many trials and errors. _Painful_ errors. However, she seemed to have underestimated _exactly_ how much chakra she had put into that stomp.

Chakra flared behind her and Sakura gulped loudly. Turning around slowly, she fully expected to see an enraged Hokage. However, as she finished her pathetically slow pivot, Sakura was surprised to see a small smile on her Shishou's face.

Tsunade cackled loudly at the look Sakura was sporting. She looked like a child who had just been caught doing something naughty. The Hokage strode up to the girl, smacking her on the back of the head. "Do not look so frightened, brat. I did the same thing when I first managed that attack."

Sakura rubbed her aching head and let out a slow breath. She had been quite afraid that Tsunade would punish her with another torture- she meant rigorous training session. The pinkette breathed a nervous chuckle and matched Tsunade's smile.

* * *

The first time Sakura had finally managed to heal a fractured bone -with Shizune acting as a vigilant supervisor of course- she had nearly leaped for joy. However, seeing as that was completely unprofessional while still attending to a patient, she had politely waited until she left the room to do so.

Shizune laughed at her antics, smiling proudly. "You are progressing very quickly Sakura-chan. Certainly faster than I did. Tsunade-sama and I are very proud."

Sakura blushed lightly at the praise. "Thank you, Shizune-senpai, but I still have a very long way to go before I could even be called a medic."

Shizune brushed away the comment. "Don't downplay yourself Sakura-chan. You are quite the prodigy in the medical arts. And quite the humble one too." Shizune smiled softly at her fellow apprentice's darkened blush. "Come, let's finish our rounds then I will treat you to some dango."

At the mention of her favorite dessert, Sakura grinned. Today was a good day.

* * *

"I am signing you up for the upcoming chunin exams."

Sakura took time to process what Tsunade had just told her. Just a year ago she would have fiercely objected, insisting on waiting for her absent teammates. However, requesting to be the Hokage's apprentice had been the best choice she had ever made. Tsunade did _not_ coddle her in the least and Sakura was extremely grateful for that. It gave her the room she needed to grow and mature.

So with new eyes, she oversaw the possible outcomes of the blond's decision. Two minutes past, with Tsunade knowingly observing her prodigy. There was a raging fire behind her green eyes as the kunoichi answered with a fierce, "Yes, Tsunade-sama!"

* * *

"Winner, Haruno Sakura!"

Sakura panted harshly, her knees hitting the ground. Her heartbeat still thumped loudly in her ears, blocking out the approving roars of the crowd. Her opponent lay unconscious before her, injured but in no ways maimed.

The exams had been long and trying, however, they were still a very far cry from the disaster a mere two years ago. She had filled the empty slot in team ten, and Sakura was grateful for Tsunade's insight, as it allowed her to begin to patch up her broken friendship with Ino.

She, along with team ten had flown through the first two assignments and just like the last chunin exam, the final round was a one on one match. Her opponent had been a genin from Kirigakure and Sakura could admit she fought with gusto. However, Sakura had prepared for this and while the girl's attacks were gruesome, they were nothing compared to her blond shishou's.

Sakura looked around her for a moment, reveling in the praise she was receiving. It felt _good_ to finally, _finally_ be acknowledged for her strength. Catching Tsunade's proud eyes from where she sat inside the Kage stand, she couldn't help the large grin that made its way to her face.

 _Shannaro!_

* * *

 _Crash!_

Shisui's head snapped up, looking towards the next training field over. Exchanging a look with his dear little cousin, they both disappeared toward the location of the disturbance. Stopping in a tree, Shisui and Itachi observed the scene before them.

There stood the Hokage's prized apprentice, beating bloody fists against a tree. There was no chakra infused into her punches, and Shisui was a bit taken aback by how much _raw_ strength this tiny girl possessed. The tree was greatly damaged, hinting at just how long the girl had been here.

"Dammit!" The frustrated cry was whispered underneath her breath, but both shinobi heard it clearly. The two men took a few moments to assess the situation. Based on Sakura's blood-stained scrubs, she had just come from the hospital. Her glassy eyes and defeated expression could mean a multitude of things. However, it all pointed in the same direction. Something terrible must have occurred while Sakura was on shift. And seeing as there was only so much that could happen in a hospital, the Uchiha cousins concluded she must have lost a patient.

Shisui glanced at his cousin. "Should we interfere?"

Itachi didn't respond, taking the time to really observe the distraught female. The kunoichi was wise to not use chakra and she was not hurting anyone around her, excluding herself. However, that was not as relevant considering she was a medic.

"Hn." With the soft grunt, his cousin disappeared, seemingly back to their own training field. Shisui's eyebrow creased for a moment. There was not much he could do even if he did confront Sakura. He did not know her. With a heavy heart, he followed his cousin, leaving the now crying girl to mourn by her lonesome.

* * *

"A mission, Shishou?" Sakura caught the scroll that Tsunade tossed, snapping it open and reading through it in one graceful movement. Pink brows furrowed and Sakura shot her mentor an irritated glance. "To Tea Country. Shishou, if this is another sake run-"

Tsunade rolled her eyes at the fuming girl. "Hush, brat. This is exactly what you need, Sakura. Don't think I haven't noticed you sulking around lately."

Sakura blushed a bit guilty at her mentor's blunt statement. "Shishou... I-"

"I understand, Sakura." The blond cut in gently. She gave her student a rare soft look. "I understand. The first ones are always the hardest." Before her young apprentice could interrupt, she continued a little more firmly. "Besides, this not a vacation. I have need of some documents a colleague has in his possession. You are to find him and retrieve the scrolls. This is not a solo mission, either. I will be sending you with team ten with Shikamaru as captain."

Sakura sighed. It is true that she had been slightly depressed every since the loss of her first ever patient a few weeks ago, she was still not quite ready for Ino to pick through her mind. The young kunoichi had tried to almost religiously avoided the Yamanaka since the other woman had gotten wind of the tragic incident. She didn't want to talk about her feelings on the matter, not yet at least. The pinkeye simply wasn't ready.

Sakura wilted a bit at her dark thoughts. Raising grieving and guilty eyes to her mentor, she couldn't help but sigh a bit heavier. "Yes, Tsunade-sama."

oooooooo

Sakura let out a long content breath as she lowered herself deeper into the steaming hot spring. Ino mirrored her bliss across from her. It was their final day in Tea Country and most likely the last time for a while before she'd be able to fully relax. The mission had been quite simple and had not taken much effort, and the man they were assigned to find had given little complaints as he realized exactly _who's_ apprentice Sakura was.

"Sakura.." The pink haired woman looked up at her best friend, then sighed at the look on Ino's face. Sakura knew she wasn't getting out of this conversation, she was just grateful Ino had enough insight to wait until an appropriate time. "Do you want to talk about him?"

 _Him being the patient she lost all those weeks ago..._

Sakura mulled over the question for a quick moment, deciding if she'd want to tell Ino or reject the blond's offer. She shot her friend a small wobbly smile. After all, the pig was just trying to help.

"Sure, pig. I would."

The next hour was filled with guilty confessions, lots of tears, and snuck-in sake. However, in the end, it was worth all of the resurfacing pain, because Sakura hadn't felt so light in _weeks_.

* * *

"Haruno-sama! We have a code 3!"

Sakura stood from her desk, having just finished her paperwork. She rushed out of her office, making her way to the operating rooms and quickly scrubbed in. The operating room was in complete chaos and Sakura wasted no time in barking out orders. She scanned a critical eye over each patient and made her way over to most injured ANBU member.

Hands glowing a bright green, she began the long process of saving the shinobi's life. Green eyes glinted in sharp determination. She wouldn't fail this time.

The operation had taken the entirety of the night. By the time the sun just began to peek over the horizon, Sakura was swaying on her feet. She had worked a double shift before the whole fiasco had occurred, and was now feeling the severe consequences of chakra depletion. The pink-haired kunoichi slumped down into her chair. Neji Hyuuga's wounds had been the worst out of his team, and it was nothing short of a miracle that he had survived. If he had made it to the hospital any later he would surely have died.

Sakura groggily signed the bottom of Neji's health report. He, along with the rest of his team would have to be taken of the roster for at least two weeks. Sakura sighed, feeling a headache coming on. Sakura made her way out of the hospital, completely exhausted. Ready to pass out, she didn't feel the two sets of eyes that trailed after her.

* * *

Tsunade observed her apprentice. It had been almost exactly three years since Sakura had demanded to be her student. Three years since the blond Hokage had accepted. Long gone were her days of being a pathetically weak fangirl.

Although the young woman sitting beside her was quite comfortable in her own skin, Tsunade briefly wondered how Sakura would react to the news she was about to learn.

"Sakura." Sakura didn't glance up, merely humming and continuing to sort the Hokage's seemingly never-ending paperwork.

"Hm?"

"The rest of team seven is scheduled to return to the village any day now." Tsunade watched closely as her little apprentice paused in her work for a millisecond, then continued on as if nothing happened.

"Ah, that is good." Sakura glanced up, feeling Tsunade's gaze still on her. She sighed lightly and placed the paperwork down. "I don't hate them Shishou. I know what I was like before, a lot better than anyone. I was weak and I can't hold their decision to leave against them."

Tsunade sipped on her sake, humming. "While that is true, even I can see how much Hatake neglected you as a student. Will you forgive him too?"

Sakura merely smiled. "I've taken the time to think about it and in reality, we are all only a little more than strangers." Sakura elaborated at Tsunade's questioning stare. "Team seven was only in action for a few months. I was too focused on my feelings with Sasuke to try and understand Kakashi and Naruto. Naruto was too focused on his rivalry with Sasuke and his crush on _me_. And well, Kakashi never tried to get to know _any_ of us beyond the first introductions. So you see, I don't _know_ them, Shishou. Not like I know Ino or any of my friends now." With a small smile, Sakura began sorting the paperwork again. "If they decide to approach me, then I won't turn them away, but never again will I chase people who don't mean a thing to me."

At Sakura's words, Tsunade was struck once again with just how much her beloved student had grown.

And she'd be damned if she didn't admit how fucking _proud_ she was in that moment.


	2. Chapter 2: Uchiha

**Doing my best to portray Sakura as this mature badass! Yosh!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Shisui hummed to himself, smiling happily. This was his favorite time of day when the sun was barely peeking over the horizon and the air was pleasantly crisp. Shisui walked merrily along the well-worn path to the training fields, on his way to meet his dear cousin for their daily sparring session.

He was quite surprised to see another pair already occupying the training grounds he had planned to use. Neji Hyuga was easily identifiable, seeing as he was on Shisui's ANBU squad. The man was scary talented and just as withdrawn as their taichou, often times leaving most of the conversation to Genma and himself. Shisui narrowed his eyes on the female's form. Sakura Haruno, if he remembered correctly. The Godaime's star apprentice as well as the head of the hospital. The entire village knew of the pinkette's star abilities as a medic. She had even saved _his_ butt quite a few times. However, he wasn't aware of her startlingly efficient combat skills.

Neji wielded his standard ANBU tanto, while Sakura had chosen a katana. Odd, considering a tanto would be better suited to her small form. However, it was not her choice of weapon that was intriguing. What was interesting was the bright blue glow surrounding her katana. It was not uncommon for shinobi to channel chakra into their weapons but the blue chakra that surrounded her weapon was _different_ somehow. Now very intrigued, Shisui leaped into a nearby tree, activating his Sharingan to get a better look at the spar below.

The Uchiha didn't so much as flinch as the figure of his cousin landed beside him.

"What are you doing, Shisui?"

The curly haired man smiled brightly at his cousin. "Ah, Tachi-chan! I was just about to find you when I noticed Neji-chan's interesting sparring partner. You should take a look."

Itachi merely raised an eyebrow, turning his attention to the pair. The younger man's eyes narrowed a bit, then faded from black into the dark red Sharingan. His eyes tracked Sakura's moves, which were fluid and obviously well-honed. The blue glow to her katana was indeed curious, it covered the tip of the weapon, extending out approximately three inches past the blade.

"Let's take a break Neji-kun, we have been at this for nearly two hours now." Shisui raised his eyebrow at the sixteen-year old's familiarity with his teammate. While Neji was in no ways stuck up, he was as sociable as his dear cousin. Shisui had assumed his squad and Neji's ex-genin team were the man's only friends. The pink-haired woman huffed, obviously trying to get her breath under control. She cut off the chakra to her weapon, gracefully sheathing it.

"Hn. That is acceptable." The Hyuga's eyes narrowed slightly, snapping to the tree the two Uchiha were in. Taking that as their cue, the Sharingan users body-flickered down to the pair.

"Hn. Shisui, Taicho."

"Hn."

The curly haired man grinned. "Neji-chan! Good morning!" He turned to the pink haired woman, who was watching him and Itachi with curious bright green eyes. In the blink of an eye, he shunshined over to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders casually. "Ah, and if it isn't the beautiful Sakura-chan!"

Sakura chuckled, smiling at Shisui with a bright twinkle in her green eyes. "Hello, Shisui-san, Uchiha-san. I was wondering when you'd join us."

Itachi raised an eyebrow. It was curious, really. He and Shisui had been masking their chakra and while he did not doubt Sakura's skills, he and his cousin were not called prodigies for no reason.

The younger Uchiha inclined his head gracefully. "Hn. Haruno-san."

Shisui's smiled sheepishly at his cousin's monotone reply, scratching the back of his neck. Luckily, Sakura didn't seem to be affected. "Ah, that was some skill you had with your katana, Sakura-chan. If you don't mind me asking, who taught you? Was it our dear Neji-chan?"

Neji stared unimpressed at his teammate, while Sakura hummed softly in amusement. "Actually, Shisui-san, Hiashi-sama was kind enough to take me under his wing."

The curly-haired man gaped. _Hiashi_? The stuck up Hyuga clan head with a ten-foot-long pole up his ass? He actually taught someone who wasn't from his clan? Even Itachi's eyebrows had skyrocketed to his hairline. The situation was simply unheard of.

"Wow, that _is_ impressive Pinky-chan! How did you manage to get Hyuuga-sama to teach you?" Sakura's amused green eyes told him she wasn't unaware of his subtle interrogation. She laughed lightly at the nickname.

She waved her arm nonchalantly, the bright twinkle never leaving her eyes. "Eh, a little of this and that. Anyways, what brings you here Shisui-san, Uchiha-san?"

Shisui's grin widened, Sakura was quite the clever woman, redirecting the conversation like that. "Tachi-chan and I come here for training every morning. I had no idea it would be preoccupied." Shisui paused, then batted his eyes dramatically. "Actually, Sakura-chan, you wouldn't mind sparring with dear old me, would you?"

Sakura giggled at his actions. She turned to the silent Hyuga. "Do you mind Neji-kun?"

Neji sighed . While he was a bit annoyed at the Uchiha hijacking his training session with Sakura, he could admit the spar would be interesting to watch. "Hn."

Sakura clapped her hands, turning back to Shisui. "Alright! Since you were so interested in my swordsmanship, kenjutsu only?"

"Sure Sakura-chan!" Shisui glanced quickly at his silent cousin. A silent conversation seemed to pass between them, as Itachi nodded shortly and went to stand by Neji. He turned his attention back onto the smiling pinkette. She held her katana once again, the blue glow emerging. "Ne, Sakura-chan. What are you doing with your chakra there?"

Sakura smirked. "Come find out, Shisui-san." With that, she launched herself at him.

* * *

 _BANG BANG BANG_

Sakura growled as she stomped to the front of her apartment. Who in the _hell_ thought it was a bright idea to wake her up this early in the damn morning? She yanked the door open, only to find her entire genin team on her doorstep. She immediately went to slam the door shut when a large foot jammed between the small space.

"Sakura-chan-!"

"No." Sakura cut him off swiftly. "Come back later when it is _not so damn early_."

There were two sets of disbelieving snorts and Sakura sighed quietly when the foot didn't retract itself from her doorway.

This was _not_ how she had imagined her reunion with her old team to go, not that she had known it would happen any time soon, anyway. Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi had returned to the village three days ago and truly, Sakura had not expected _them_ to come to _her_.

"Sakura-chan, cmon! We haven't seen you in three years! Didn't you miss us?" She rolled her eyes at the audible pout in his voice. Grunting, the pinkette opened the door and glared at the three males.

"Fine. Come in and I'll make coffee." Naruto grinned brightly at her, immediately trying to scoop her up into a tight her. She sidestepped him easily, smiling at her two quiet guests. She dutifully ignored the loud thump of Naruto falling behind her.

"Aw, that was mean Sakura-chan!" The pinkette ignored him, instead choosing to greet the two Sharingan users.

"Sasuke, Kakashi! It's nice to see you two. Please, come in." If the two men were surprised by her greeting, they didn't comment. Honestly, she didn't blame them. Three years ago she was a whiny, spoiled fangirl, but they would learn soon enough that she had changed in more ways than one.

"Hn. Sakura." Sakura smiled politely, amused at the thought that this 'reunion' was similar to a diplomatic mission she had been assigned not too long ago. Seeing as how she detested diplomatic missions, it wasn't a sad thing to associate with her old team.

"Maa, whatever happened to Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan?" The pinkette led the males to her dining room, absentmindedly pulling the curtains open as she went.

She laughed delicately at Kakashi's inquiry. "You haven't been my teacher for three years now. Do you miss the title, Kakashi- _kun_?"

Kakashi's quickly masked his surprise with an amused smile and a chuckle. "Hmm, I guess you're right Sakura-chan."

Sakura redirected amused eyes to the giddy blonde. "Ne, Sakura-chan. Baa-chan said you were medical apprentice now? Does that mean you can't go on missions with us anymore?"

Sakura raised an eyebrow at him. "No, Naruto. I am a medical-nin. I still go on missions."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes in confusion. "You can't go on solo missions as a genin. Who's team were you assigned to?"

Pink eyebrows sky-rocketed. Did they really not know? Sakura inwardly huffed. It was so like her Shishou to leave all the explaining to her. She served the boys coffee, giving herself some time to think about her response.

"No," She began carefully. "I passed the jounin exams over a year ago, Sasuke. I haven't been a genin for three years now."

"What!?"

* * *

"Take the day off, Tsunade says." Nurses and interns alike scrambled out of the way of the mumbling, obviously angry head of hospital. "The hospital can survive for a day Sakura, she says."

The day had looked fine in the beginning, really it had. The real trouble had begun when a four-man team had been rushed in, all fatally poisoned. She had entrusted her well-trained doctors to the surgery, sure that they could handle it.

However, not thirty minutes into her very important meeting, she was being called to said surgery. It was a blessing that she had not taken that day off, because while the situation was bad it could have been much, much worse.

Sakura barged into the operating room, already growling at the hovering nurses.

"Someone get Hanabi and Udon! Now!" The pinkette barely registered the two nurses scrambling out of the room, rushing over the critical patient. Sakura prodded at the slightly green man, frowning at his lack of response. Glowing hands ran a diagnosis and her frown deepened into a scowl. The pinkette pointed a manicured finger at a nearby nurse. "You! Get me eight bowls! Four need to filled up with water. Go!"

The poison had been injected through the ANBU's back and was spreading like wildfire. If they did it out soon as possible, she had no doubt that the ANBU member would die a very painful death.

Sakura's eyes widened slightly as she studied the poisons components a bit more closely. This was not good.

* * *

 **A lot of Uchiha in this chapter... OHOHOHOOOOOO. What does it mean!?**

 **Please tell me where you'd like this story to go.**

 **Also, I have many people I want to pair Sakura up with but I simply cannot choose. Help me, please!**


	3. Chapter 3: Experience

**Guys, I am so sorry about the ending of that last chapter! I didn't mean to make it so repetitive to the ending of the first chapter!**

 **Thank you for all the reviews I will try to make this chapter long :D**

 **READ READ READ**

 **Also! The two most popular couples seem to be ShiSaku or ItaSaku. I kind of want to do a Shisaku because there is literally like FIVE good Shisaku fanfictions. On the other hand, I really** _ **love**_ **Itachi's pacifist nature. I am stuck! D: So, let's take a poll!**

 **In this story, I am trying to make Sakura a badass kunoichi who is extremely mature and finds petty affairs amusing. I am trying to make her charming as well:3 She's not going to have any random power-ups or anything similar, she's worked hard for everything she's got! Let me know if it's a hit or miss! ;D**

 **And ugh! For some reason the FanFiction documents are not allowing me to put paragraph separaters.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Sakura-san! You are a blooming flower in the springtime of youth! I will never stop loving you!" Sakura inwardly groaned in dismay.

 _Why?_

Out of all the shinobi in Konoha, why was _Lee_ coming with her on this mission? While the bowl-haired shinobi was extremely talented in his own right, his childish affection for her hadn't so much as lessened in the three years that Sakura had known him.

It was exhausting, to say the least.

The only comfort Sakura had was that Neji and Tenten would be part of the squad as well. The mission was a two-week long trip to Suna, where Sakura had the 'great honor' of reviewing the medical staff.

Sakura covered her mild irritation with a polite smile. She waved to the two males, embracing shorty with Tenten. "Hello, Lee-san, Tenten-chan, Neji-kun. It is nice to see you guys!"

Lee quickly excused himself to inform the gate guards of their departure and Sakura breathed a silent, discreet sigh of relief. Tenten snickered at her expression.

"Sakura-chan!" Tenten beamed at the younger kunoichi. She pouted slightly at her friend. "I feel like I haven't seen you in _forever_! You're always cooped up in the hospital nowadays."

Sakura laughed lightly. "I know, I know. I am the head of the hospital, Ten. You know how that is."

Tenten's pout deepened playfully. "Yea, but still! We haven't had a girl's night out in a long time. Don't you miss us?"

The pinkette slapped her friend's arm lightly, rolling her eyes. "Oh, hush. We went out two weeks ago." Green eyes turned the stoic Hyuuga, and she smirked playfully. "Besides, you could always bring Neji- _chan_. He sure is pretty enough."

Tenten gave a booming laugh while Neji grunted. He narrowed his light eyes at the pinkette, clearly showing his displeasure for her to see. "Maa, Neji-kun, you know I was only kidding. Don't be so serious!"

The light-hearted atmosphere lessened as Lee returned, signaling the official start of their mission. Sakura clapped her hands, bringing the attention to her. She straightened her spine and regarded the three jounin before her. "Alright, Tsunade gave us a two-day limit to get to Suna, meaning we will be running both days and taking one break to camp. Does everyone understand?"

At their resolute nods, Sakura pivoted, launching herself into the trees. They would have to travel fast, Suna was a four-day trip after all.

Xxxxxxx

"Ugh. What I wouldn't do to get out of this sun." Sakura chuckled at Tenten's groan. Suna completely lived up to its reputation. The sun was overwhelmingly unforgiving and the sand was getting into places she'd rather not mention. Brown eyes narrowed at Sakura's unblemished, _unburnt_ , skin. "Sakuraaaa! How are you not sunburnt?! You're the lightest one here!"

Sakura rolled her at her friend's whining. "I'm a medical-nin, Ten. I can surround my body in a cloak of chakra. It protects me from the sun."

"What!? That is _not_ fair!" Tenten pouted, turning to look at the two men on their team. Lee was just as burned as she was but Neji was pristine looking as ever. She scowled darkly. "And what's your excuse, Neji!?"

"Hn. I am also able to surround my body in chakra." Neji glanced at his fuming teammate, smirking at her envy. Lee clapped Tenten on the back, grinning brightly.

"Don't worry Tenten-chan! I can see the gates from here! There is no need to be jealous of Neji and Sakura-san!" Sakura suppressed a smile at Lee's obliviousness. That was not the right thing to say to an overheated, irritated woman. Before her friend could pounce on the male, she cleared her throat loudly, gesturing to the guards who were eyeing them suspiciously.

The pink-haired squad leader nodded her head to the two men, smiling charmingly as she presented the unclassified mission scroll. "Hello, Shinta-san, Len-kun! It is nice to see you again. This is my team. We are here under the request of Kazekage-sama."

The green-eyed, blond guard nodded politely at her but eyed her teammates with ill-concealed distrust. "Sakura-sama."

The shorter, brown-haired man gave her a small smile. "S-s-s-s-sakura-sama. It is-s-s a p-pleasure."

Sakura grinned, making the younger man blush darkly. ' _It is always so fun to tease Len. I sort of missed it.'_

Shinta scanned the scroll thoroughly. The blond grunted and swiftly returned the scroll as he allowed them through the gates. Sakura gave the guards another smile, patting Len's arm as she passed. She could feel her team's eyes on her and she turned to return the looks with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes?"

Tenten whistled lowly. She gave the pinkette a teasing smile. "Wow, you sure are popular here, Sakura- _sama_."

Sakura blushed slightly, waving the honorific away. "It's only because I was I was here on that month-long mission a year ago. All I did was train some of the hospital staff."

Lee grunted loudly. He gave Sakura a beaming smile as he struck a fabulous pose. "Do not downplay your success Sakura-san! You are an amazing woman! The true epitome of blooming youth!"

Tenten snickered and Sakura covered her wince at his booming voice. Neji remained stoic at the back of the group but Sakura could sense his annoyance. "Hn. Be quiet, Lee. You are attracting too much attention."

Lee fell to his knees at Neji's proclamation and Sakura shared a droll look with Tenten. The black-haired ninja sobbed loudly, "My rival! Always able to keep your cool, even in this weather! I will one day surpass you!"

Neji continued as if a grown man was not groveling at his feet, and Sakura distantly thought this mirrored exactly how Gai interacted with Kakashi. She sighed slightly. "Come on, team. We still need to check in with Kazekage-sama and I want to get off my feet as soon as physically possible."

Knowing they'd follow her lead, Sakura leaped onto a nearby house, bypassing the large crowds of Suna. They made it to the tower quickly, and Sakura inwardly groaned in relief as the cold AC cooled her skin. She could practically feel Tenten's bliss from behind her.

The meeting with Gaara went quick, something Sakura was eternally grateful for. She was sure the redhead had sensed their exhaustion. She nearly hugged Gaara when he dismissed them to their hotel. Nearly.

Xxxxxxxxxx

"Hn. Sakura, what are you doing up here?"

Green eyes blinked towards the intruder, relaxing at the sight of her byakugan-wielding friend. "Ah, good-morning Neji-kun. I was enjoying the sunrise. Today is really the only day I'll be able to do this since the rest of these two-weeks are going to be absolutely hectic. Join me?"

Neji gracefully sunk to his bottom beside her, not saying a word. Sakura relaxed in the comfortable silence. She glanced at her friend, taking in his serene expression. "Between you and me, Konoha has nothing on the sunrise here." Neji grunted softly in agreement, eyes still on the rising sun.

The minutes passed in silence and it wasn't till the air started to warm around them that the two shinobi rose. Sakura smiled at her dear friend. "We should be making our way to the hospital now. Let's round up Lee and Tenten and get going, yeah?"

"Ah."

"Let's hope this mission goes smoothly, ne?"

"Ah."

Xxxxxxxxxx

 _Chaos_

That was the only way to explain the hospital. The moment she walked in the sliding doors she could feel the spiking chakra, hear the slamming of hospital equipment as well as the moaning of injured patients.

And just like that, her hopes of a nice, smooth mission were completely crushed into the dust.

Xxxxxxx

At the end of the two weeks, Sakura was both exhausted and extremely content. The two weeks had been absolute _hell_ , for both her and Suna's hospital staff. Sakura's month-long mission from a year ago had been an _absolute_ waste of time. It seemed the hospital had reverted back to their old ways only a week after she left. Why Gaara waited this long to request her services was beyond her. The pinkette had thoroughly chewed the Kazekage out for his mistake.

Determined to make her teachings last this time, Sakura had no choice but to transition into tyrant-mode. At the end of the second day, she had nurses and doctors alike quivering at her usually well-concealed temper. The sixteen-year-old kunoichi had implemented strict and no-nonsense rules and policies. After this was established, she set her sights on the staff. It had not been a pretty sight. Tenten had finally got her question answered as to why the Suna population dubbed her Sakura- _sama_.

Now, here she was, standing before the Kazekage with her team waiting in the lobby.

"Sakura."

"Kazekage-sama."

"Gaara."

"Eh?" Light teal eyes pierced her own and Sakura tilted her head in question.

"My name is Gaara, Sakura. You are permitted to use it." Gaara caught the amused twinkle in Sakura's bright green eyes and wondered for a moment if this woman knew how charismatic she really was.

"Ah, that _is_ an honor, Gaara-sama." Smiling, the pink-haired woman bowed deeply. Gaara nearly rolled his eyes at her theatrics. After her two visits to his country, he was becoming quite accustomed to them.

The redhead cleared his throat quietly, pinning her with sharp eyes. "The two-weeks I agreed with your Hokage on are up, Haruno. What is your final report for my hospital staff?"

Sakura hummed slightly, thinking quickly about her answer. "They are acceptable, Gaara-sama. I implemented many new policies so you will need to have someone make sure they are following them correctly. I suggest requesting Shizune once a month to review them."

Gaara tilted his head. "You do not suggest yourself?"

Sakura chuckled lowly. "Shizune-senpai has returned to active duty, Gaara-sama. Meaning even if you _were_ to request me, I would have to decline. I am head of the Konoha hospital, after all."

The kage nodded slowly. "Hn. I see. Well, if that is all, then you are dismissed." She bowed, pivoting to leave. His voice stopped her before she exited. "Sakura. Suna thanks you for your service."

She gave him a bright smile. "Anytime Gaara-sama!"

Hn. Charming, indeed.

* * *

"Forehead girl! Wake your lazy ass up!"

Sakura groaned in dismay. How did Ino even get into her apartment?

Oh, that's right. The obnoxious blond had made herself a set of keys two years ago. The pinkette hid her head under her pillow, nearly screeching as the blankets were roughly pulled off of her.

"What the hell pig!?" Sakura turned to see her best friend smirking down at her.

"Get _up_ , Forehead. I haven't seen you for weeks and now it is _girl time_." Kami, that smirk was downright evil. Why did she ever want to be friends with Ino again?

Xxxxxxxxx

"Come on, Sakura! I want to go visit that new tempura shop that opened when you were gone!" Sakura yanked her wrist from her friend, waggling a finger at the blond.

"Ino," Sakura scolded. "You know the drill after returning from a mission. Grocery shopping first."

Ino pouted, "But that's _boring_."

The pinkette rolled her eyes at her childish friend. She turned and began to make her way to the shopping district. "Fine. Go find someone else to go. _I'm_ going grocery shopping.

Ino huffed from behind her. "Ugh, fine! Do your stupid shopping. I'll just go bother Shika for a few hours. Meet up here at noon. Don't be late, forehead!"

Sakura grinned, saluting playfully. "Sure thing, pig."

The pinkette hummed happily as she reached the market. It was such a lovely, warm day. Compared to Suna's harsh weather, the day was almost chilly. She had donned a simple white blouse with comfortable black pants, perfect for shopping.

"Sakura-sama, Sakura-sama!"

Xxxxxxxxxx

Itachi strode through the market with his cousin and mother. Mikoto had informed them that they did not need to accompany her to do some light shopping but the two men had insisted. They were raised with immaculate manners, after all. Besides, it was no trouble considering they both were given a week-long vacation and their training had been completed early this morning.

They had stopped at a small stall selling tomatoes when something caught the Uchiha matriarch's eye. She turned towards the bright pink head of hair making its way through the busy market. It seemed Sakura had some shopping to do as well. Sharp onyx eyes analyzed the young woman, watching the way the stall owners interacted with her.

"Sakura-sama! Please take this ginger root!" The young woman stopped at the stall, respectfully declining the old man even as he insisted. Mikoto listened as Sakura strategically changed the subject, asking the old stall owner about his wife.

Hm, how interesting.

Sakura moved on, not getting far as another woman offered a large bag of apples to her. The young woman smiled brightly, taking the apples with a grace. The matriarch's sharp eyes caught the discreet way Sakura had dropped the appropriate amount of coins onto the counter without the stall owner noticing.

Mikoto watched for a few more moments before turning to her quietly conversing boys. "Itachi-kun, Shisui-kun, do you know Haruno-san well?"

The two men gave Mikoto a curious look at her seemingly random inquiry. Shisui tilted his head slightly. "Hmm, I would think so Mikoto-baa. Itachi-chan and I train with Sakura-chan regularly. She often joins us for tea and dango."

A light sparked behind Mikoto's dark eyes when Itachi nodded his head in agreement. "We see her quite often, Kaa-san."

"Well!" The older woman clapped her hands. "She did save your life, Shisui-kun. We should invite Sakura-chan over for dinner as thanks. Don't you think it is a splendid idea, boys?"

The two Uchiha men nodded quickly, not wanting to disagree with their matriarch. Mikoto smiled prettily before leading the boys to Sakura.

Xxxxxxxxxx

"Haruno-san!" Sakura turned at the slightly familiar voice, only to find Mikoto Uchiha, as well as her two 'guards' striding gracefully towards her. Slightly wondering what they would want from her, Sakura bowed shallowly.

"Hello! Please, Mikoto-sama, Sakura is fine. Itachi-kun, Shisui-kun. It is a pleasure to see you again. How can I help you?" Sakura smiled widely at the three, her mind flying through the possibilities of why they would approach her.

"Then it is just Mikoto for me, Sakura-chan. On behalf of the Uchiha clan, I would like to once again thank you for saving our dear Shisui-chan."

Sakura laughed lightly at Shisui's pink cheeks. Itachi remained silent but Sakura caught the laughter in his eyes. "Ah, Mikoto-baa! I could have said that!"

Mikoto merely waved off her nephew with slight amusement. "Yes, yes. Sakura-chan, would you join us for dinner tonight?"

Sakura covered her surprise well, not allowing the three to catch it. She was sure this dinner Mikoto was offering would be more of a 'pleasant' interrogation than a casual affair. Hm, either allow herself to be subjected to Ino's idea of a fun night out or choose to be interrogated at the Uchiha's main house. Decisions, decisions. She could sense Itachi and Shisui's amusement from beyond Mikoto and inwardly chuckled. So they found this amusing? Mind made up, Sakura regarded the Uchiha woman with bright green eyes. "I would be honored, Mikoto-san."

How _interesting_ tonight would be.

* * *

Sakura huffed out short breaths, slowly regulating her heart rate. Training with her old team often times gave her mixed feelings. It was nothing like training with Itachi, Shisui, Neji, and Genma.

The young woman often found herself sparring with Kakashi instead of the others. Naruto and Sasuke were still _very_ immature in some ways. While the two males were indeed extremely talented, their petty challenges distracted them for most of the training session. Sakura was sure that if they took their training as seriously as they did their rivalry, they would rise through the ranks quickly.

The two boys had been lucky to have come back when they did. They had a month to prepare for the upcoming chunin exams and it was no surprise to Sakura that they passed with flying colors. The chunin exams were purely about strength and skill, something Sasuke and Naruto possessed in spades. The jounin exams had a large portion dedicated to showcasing one's' skill, however, most of the exam was purely psychological. Making decisions, creating plans, strategizing. Things Sasuke and Naruto very much _lacked_.

Sakura sighed under her breath, taking a seat underneath a tree for a water break. The two boys were still sparring a little ways away and Sakura could clearly hear their banter. She rolled her eyes at their ridiculous antics.

"Where did you learn kenjutsu?" Sakura rolled her eyes again at her ex-sensei. Ever since he had come back into the village, he had taken it upon himself to question her every chance he got. The grey-haired man sat on the branch above her, equally sweaty from their last spar.

"Hm. When did you start using a tanto, Kakashi-kun?" Sakura responded in a heartbeat, not even glancing up at her fellow jounin.

Kakashi snorted lightly. "Very perceptive of you, Sakura."

Sakura laughed lightly. She eyed him with a clearly amused expression. "You know, Kakashi-kun. I have been theorizing about something quite interesting." At his hum, she continued mischievously. "I have a theory about the Sharingan and its effects on the users' curiosity. You, Shisui-kun, and Sasuke have all asked me about my swordsmanship."

Kakashi rolled his visible eye at her. "Maa, it's not nice to tease an old man, Sakura."

The sixteen-year-old kunoichi snorted. "Thirty is hardly old, Kakashi." She stood, gesturing for the older man to follow her back onto the sparring field. At his unyielding gaze, she chuckled. Turning twinkling eyes on him, she settled into a low stance. "Hiashi-sama was quite the teacher."

The jounin raised an incredulous eyebrow. "Hiashi-sama? The Hyuga head? How peculiar."

Sakura sighed in mock annoyance. "My, you sure are chatty today. You must be tired of all this conversation, Kakashi- _ojii_."

His dark grey eye narrowed on her. In a split second, he was across the field, his tanto clashing with her katana.

"Chakra or no chakra?" Raising an eyebrow at her odd question, he pushed back before responding.

"Chakra is fine. No enhanced strength." The pinkette nodded sharply, then a blue glow buzzed to life around her weapon.

At his questioning gaze, she calmly elaborated. "This is a technique I created. Only a medical-nin would be capable of using it. Although, that number is still very limited considering most medic-nin are not kenjutsu masters."

She came at him, swiping horizontally with her katana. Quite curious of what exactly her technique did, Kakashi half-heartedly dodged, allowing the blue chakra to pass through his thigh.

He grunted at the surprising amount of pain that burst from where the chakra hit. Kakashi quickly shifted his weight onto his uninjured leg, and gracefully sidestepped the next swipe of Sakura's weapon.

His old student's face was set into an expressionless mask, not giving away her emotions or thoughts. Kakashi couldn't help but compare this Sakura to the emotional teenager he left all those years ago, truly if he did not know any better he wouldn't have believed she was the same person. This woman was confident, self-aware, and incredibly skilled.

Kakashi snapped out of his musings, going on the offensive and soon enough he and Sakura were once again in a very deadly dance of blades. One misstep and it would result in serious consequences.

Twenty minutes later the spar ended in a draw, unsurprisingly. They were once again sitting under the shade of a tree taking a short break.

"Kakashi," Sakura called. He hummed in reply, prompting her to continue. "Let me heal your leg before I leave for my shift."

The silver-haired man tilted his head, then landed next to her, resting his back against the trunk of the tree. He eyed her curiously. "Are you going to explain your technique, Sakura?"

Sakura chuckled as she placed a glowing green hand above his thigh. "I suppose. The chakra that surrounds my blade is called a chakra scalpel. The scalpel is able to cut inside the body without cutting the skin." She glanced up and outright laughed at his horrified expression. "I modified the technique to apply it to my blade. So even if my victim dodges my katana, the scalpel will ensure that the inside of the body is still heavily damaged. Not to mention if the victim is not a medic there is no way to reverse the effects."

There was only one word that Kakashi would use to describe his old student at that moment.

 _Dangerous_

* * *

"Ne, Sakura-chan." Sakura turned from her bowl of soup to her usually loud teammate. She raised an eyebrow at him curiously. Naruto, Sasuke, and she were seated on the stools of Ichiraku, Kakashi had left for a mission earlier that day. Their meal had been surprisingly silent so far.

"Yes?"

"You've really changed Sakura-chan." To say Sakura was surprised by his choice of words was an understatement. She tilted her head at him, urging him to continue. Her old teammate was regarding her with solemn blue eyes, something rare to see on his usually grinning face. Sasuke sat on the opposite side of her, silent as can be. "It isn't really a bad thing, because, that's what the teme and I left to do. Y'know, grow, get stronger. But, no offense Sakura-chan, I never expected _you_ to do it too."

She could almost feel Sasuke's eye roll and before she could respond, the Uchiha's hand reached behind her to slap the back of Naruto's head roughly. "Dobe."

"Wha- Teme!"

Sakura laughed lightly, surprising both boys. They turned to look at her. "It's okay Sasuke. I am not offended. Really, Naruto I don't blame you. I was pretty damn pathetic all those years ago."

"That's not what I meant-!"

The pink-haired woman raised a hand, effectively cutting him off.

That's another thing that changed about her, Naruto mused. She could halt conversations with just her hand. Since he came back, he noticed the pinkette had become extremely _charming_. There was something about her. The way she held herself, so confident and poised. So delicate but strong. So dangerous. As soon as the woman walked into a room, it seemed like the world stopped, just for her.

She gave the blond a small smile. "I know how I used to be, Naruto. I _was_ pathetic. I used to hang all over Sasuke, never gave my training a second glance. But, people change. _I_ changed. It had nothing to do with you guys, nothing to do with anyone, except me. _I_ realized I deserved better than what I was giving myself so I did what I had to do. I begged Tsunade-sama to train me, I passed the chunin exams, then the jounin exams and _now_ , I am on my way to passing the ANBU exams. I became the head of the hospital at _fifteen_. So yes I did change Naruto, but I will continue to change until I'm the best of the best. You can believe that."

Silence fell after her speech as Sakura kept steady eye contact with Naruto. Sasuke watched the two, going over Sakura's explanation and contemplating what she said. He had seen her a startlingly amount of times over the course of the last two months. First at her apartment, then the hospital, then training, then his _home_. Sasuke had been quite surprised to find her attending his family's dinner, not having been previously informed.

The young Uchiha had been wary of the gleam in his mother's eyes that night, sure she was up to something involving his old teammate. He had come to his own understanding a little while ago with the pinkette. Sasuke had never been the best with words, but she had somehow understood exactly what he had been trying to convey. It was nice, he daresay, having a friend like her.

Naruto broke the heavy atmosphere, grinning brightly and wrapping an arm around his pink-haired friend. "I'm proud of you, Sakura-chan!" He threw a teasing glance at Sasuke, who was watching Sakura was a discreetly soft expression. "Teme is too, dattebayo!"

The air once again turned light as Sakura giggled lightly. She felt two times lighter, like a weight she didn't know was there lifted off of her shoulders. She slurped up some soup from her ramen, humming contently.

* * *

 **Um. Yea. Tell me what you think! Check the A/N at the top of the chapter too!**


	4. Chapter 4: Attack

**I'm sorry readers for my lack of updates. I want to give you guys the best quality of my writing so I decided to bid my time until I had inspiration.**

 **Please, enjoy!**

* * *

Sakura flew through the trees, trying in vain to lose her trackers. She pushed herself faster, determined to find a large enough clearing to fight in. Based on the large chakra signatures behind her, her stalkers were not mere bandits and she would need any advantage she could get.

The pink-haired woman sighed in relief at seeing a decent sized clearing between the trees and quickly shunshined herself into it. Sakura immediately fell into a defensive position. The forest seemed to still for a moment before two figures blurred a mere five feet before her.

The pink-haired woman was suddenly very glad for the porcelain mask that covered her features, for she couldn't stop the shock from showing on her face. She recognized the two shinobi immediately. As well as the red and black cloaks they wore.

Akatsuki.

"Haruno Sakura," Sasori of the Red Sands stated. His voice was low and rough, sending chills up Sakura's spine. "You will be coming with us."

Sakura said nothing in return, merely assessing the situation. What could Akatsuki want with her?

"It seems this one will not be coming without a struggle huh, Sasori-no-Danna?" The blond chuckled, his hands digging in his pouches. Sakura eyed him, going through everything she knew about both men and their abilities.

"Shut up," Sasori growled at his partner. He turned his eyes onto Sakura. "You are lucky Leader-sama wants you alive, girl. Surrender now."

Sakura snarled at him but otherwise did not respond. Hands flying through familiar signals, Sakura pushed chakra to her hands and condensed it into water. "Water Style: Water Dragon!" The water took shape of a familiar large dragon and charged towards the two men. Sakura followed closely behind, using the jutsu to cover her form.

She jumped high, slamming her heel into the ground and creating a large crater. Jumping once again to avoid debris, Sakura formed another set of signs. Three shadow clones popped into existence and flew towards Deidara. The erratic blond merely laughed and allowed the copies to chase him into the forest.

Sasori leaped back and away from the dragon. Sakura followed closely, engaging him in a bout of taijutsu. Sasori was fast, Sakura would give him that, however, _he_ did not spend years training under the most powerful medic-nin ever to live. The pinkette charged chakra into her hands, striking out with an open palm.

The pink-haired woman was close enough to see Sasori's eyes widen in alarm before he was slammed back from the force of the hit. Sakura watched warily as his form seemed to _crack_ before a black cloaked figure lurched out from the now hollow shell.

"Clever, brat. You have broken Hiruko and now I am forced to reveal my true body." The figure's head tilted back, allowing the hood to slide down. Green eyes widened. The male underneath was indeed Sasori, however, he did not look a day over fifteen. Which could not be possible considering the man had to be at _least_ forty.

As the rest of the cloak slid free, Sakura took a wary step back. _Now_ she understood. Sasori's puppet-like body was impossible to miss.

"You are experiencing a great honor brat," Sasori drawled. "You are the first opponent to see this form."

Sakura ignored the man, coming to her senses and rushing him again. The red-haired man leaped backward, and in less than the span of a second, he unsealed the scroll attached to his side.

The scroll glowed a soft purple before poofing. Sasori was momentarily gone, causing Sakura to tense, until the smoke cleared away. Sakura nearly gasped Sasori revealed the Third Kazekage. The pink-haired kunoichi narrowed her eyes before she leaped a fair distance away and slammed her hand into the ground.

A small poof and her summons stood before her. "Sakura-sama, how can I be of assistance?"

Sakura quickly informed her of her dire circumstances. "Go directly to Tsunade-sama and request immediate backup." Green antennas twitched and the slug disappeared without another word.

"Enough of this," Sasori said softly, his fingers flickering. "I grow impatient of this battle."

Sakura crouched as the third raced towards her, his arms raised. The arms opened, revealing a multitude of glowing seals.

Hundreds of wooden arms piercing the ground around her, resembling a closing fist. Sakura quickly unsealed her katana, swiping at the arms nearest to her. She cut an opening, quickly escaping. A purple gas exploding from the third's arm and Sakura held her breath before jumping high to avoid the poisonous cloud.

She set her sights on Sasori. Sakura could see the fine little chakra strings attached from his fingers to the Third Kazekage.

 _Cut him down and his puppets would follow._

She could distantly hear the large bangs signaling that the fight between her clones and Deidara was still going strong.

She shunshined closer to the missing-nin, swiping her katana in a wide arch. Sasori dodged narrowly before swinging the puppet in front of himself. He smirked at her. "You will never get close enough, girl."

The third descended upon her with a flurry of strikes, forcing Sakura backward as she dodged his poison covered blade. She grunted as she felt a dark tendril pierce clean through her shoulder.

Looking down, she recognized it to be the Third's infamous iron sand. She was careless to have allowed it to sneak behind her. It could not happen again.

Evading the sand, Sakura crouched and kicked a chakra enhanced foot at the puppet's open abdomen.

The third flew back, straight towards Sasori. Sakura did not let up, quickly following and pushed off the ground, using the momentum to land an open palm directly on the spot she had kicked.

The puppet paused before exploding, and Sakura smirked at Sasori's dark frown. "Who would've thought you could actually kill the third…"

The pinkette flew at him, her katana aiming for his chest. She held in a scream as twin blades pierced through her back, barely missing her spine. She paused, turning wide green eyes over her shoulder. Another puppet stood motionless behind her, holding the swords.

When did Sasori have the time to unseal another puppet?

Sakura cursed at Sasori's chuckle. "Such confidence, brat." His fingers twitched, causing the puppet to twist the blades. Sakura let out a harsh breath, coughing up blood. She fiercely tore off her mask before she drowned in her own blood. "The poison that was covering those blades were of my design. You will die now, girl."

Sakura focused, kicking sharply at the puppet. She could already feel the burning of the poison inside her. The pinkette stomped her foot, causing more destruction to the already abused ground. The rising ground threw the puppet away from her.

Swords still lodged inside her, Sakura raced towards Sasori. He leaped back but she followed hot on his heels. Her chakra was dangerously low now, she would have to end this fast. The thick black cord in his abdomen unwound, flying towards her. She dodged nimbly, wincing when she felt it slice her thigh.

She snarled at him, showing bloody teeth. "Even if I die," Sakura moved faster than she had ever moved in her entire life, shunshining a foot away from him, she lodged her katana deep inside his chest. She reveled at the shock hidden in his eyes. "I'm taking you down with me!"

Sasori smirked harshly. "You _will_ be dying today girl. I will ensure your death." Sakura stared, uncomprehending until she felt the thick cord pierce her chest. She gasped, stumbling away. Distantly, she could hear the slamming of Sasori's body on the floor, signaling his final demise.

The pinkette dragged her feet over to a nearby tree, using the thick bark for balance. She pushed herself to focus, fighting a losing battle. She grunted as a thought occurred to her. The Yin Seal.

 _It will not purge the poison, but it might be enough..._

Sakura clasped her hands together, struggling to complete the necessary hand signs

Monkey... Rat.. tiger… Ox...

The pinkette collapsed on her knees, her vision going momentarily black. Bloody teeth grit together as Sakura forced herself to form the release seal.

Black tendrils slid down her forehead, traveling to her arms and torso. Sakura braced herself, one hand gripping the thick black cord. Counting to three, she yanked it out, "Gah!" Falling face-down she waited until the hole closed, crying silent tears of pain.

The skin healed around the swords still lodged in her stomach, she didn't have enough focus to possibly heal it properly. In her state, she probably would do more harm than good.

 _I need… Konoha…home..._

Sakura pushed herself to her feet, her eyes dizzy with pain. The poison was proving to be quite nasty and she could feel it burning at her insides.

The pinkette focused just enough to point herself in the direction of her village, then put all of her energy into putting one foot in front of the other.

* * *

The pink-haired woman that Team Hawk found wandering towards Konoha were simultaneously so far from what they had expected, and exactly what they had been dreading. Shisui stared with wild, wide eyes as she stumbled forwards, looking as if she didn't know what was around her.

"Sakura!" Completely forgetting ANBU protocol, he flashed a foot away from her, arms spread to stop her progress.

The pinkette snarled, completely unlike herself, and stomped once. The opened beneath her with a deafening roar of stone on stone before dirt and rock exploded.

The ground sunk beneath Sakura's feet, as mighty trees groaned and fell around her. Shisui flashed to safety with only Itachi's hand holding him back from trying to reach her again. The rest of team hawk was stationed behind them, watching the chaos in silence.

The forest around them froze, signaling the start of a low-level genjutsu. The four-man team broke through it in unison. In seconds, Sakura was flying towards them, her palm raised and glowing. They leaped away, regrouping on a nearby tree. Sakura hit the area where they stood, a tree trunk that was reduced to splinters in mere seconds.

Sakura's pupils were dilated with delirium, signaling her high fever. Pink hair was matted with grime and blood, her face pale and cheeks sallow. Her hands shook. She watched them with wide eyes and a fierce snarl, her fists raised in defense.

She was delirious.

And delirious meant _dangerous_.

Bird, or Neji, spoke silently. "Taichou, Haruno's chakra is nearly gone. If she uses any more she will die."

Their captain nodded sharply, looking to his cousin. "Dog, you will accompany Bear to secure Haruno's battlefield. You two are tasked with the retrieval of the two Akatsuki members."

Dead _Akatsuki members._ Shisui thought a bit hysterically. They had arrived on the battlefield before they encountered Sakura and had seen exactly how hard she fought. Shisui could admit he was pretty damn proud.

With a, "Yes, Taichou!" the two men were gone. Itachi then turned to the lone Hyuga. "Bird, you will approach from behind while I distract Haruno."

Neji nodded briskly, disappearing into the trees. Itachi then turned his attention back to the gasping woman. She was nearing her end-point, he could tell. His activated Sharingan took in her multitude of injuries, as well as the missing Yin-Seal. He approached slowly, his hands raised.

"Sakura," He began. The woman froze, glaring at him through cloudy green eyes. "I am Uchiha Itachi. Hokage-sama sent me as your back-up."

The injured kunoichi glared harder, completely ignoring his words. He signaled discreetly to Neji while stepping closer to Sakura, gaining her full attention. The brown-haired man dropped silently behind Sakura, giving her no time to react. He quickly knocked her out, catching her in his arms.

With Itachi by his side, he raced towards Konoha, not once looking back.

* * *

When Sakura finally came to, she was laying back down on something light as clouds. She tensed and shot up, her narrowed eyes taking in the room. The world spun for a moment and her eyes _burned_. She fought through the nausea.

Sakura didn't remember being rescued. Meaning she wasn't in Konoha. _Meaning_ she must've been captured and taken back to the Akatsuki's base. Sakura frowned. She pushed off the bed and landed in a crouch on the floor. She quickly ripped the tubes out of her, only Kami knows what they were drugging her with.

The world around her felt off balance and Sakura grunted at the feeling. Suddenly the door to her room was wrenched open and with a loud, "Sakura-chan!" a bright _bright_ figure came rushing into the room. Pupils dilated, Sakura grabbed the unknown person by the neck and slammed him into the nearest wall. She forced chakra into her arm, making escape impossible.

She raised her face close to his and snarled brutally, " _Where am I?_ "

She was vaguely aware that her chakra was rolling around her menacingly, affecting the very atmosphere with its deadly intent. The person beneath her hand froze, not moving a muscle. Distantly she could hear a hissed, " _Naruto_ , you idiot."

Three more people filed into the large room, keeping their distance away from her. She could hear their hushed conversation but ignored it in favor of the man still trapped.

"Can't we just knock her out?" One voice whispered harshly.

"No," Another snapped. "She'll kill Naruto before she goes down."

She pushed down slightly, hairline fractures appearing on the wall. She growled at her captive. "I said, _where am I?"_

"Sakura." Her head snapped to the side at the voice, and another person appeared in the doorway, someone she would never forget no matter what. He stood regally, staring down at her with stern violet eyes.

The pinkette turned towards him, tears filling her eyes. "Hi-Hiashi-sama?"

"Sakura," The Hyuga clan head repeated gravelly. He took a deliberately slow step closer. "You must cease this unnecessary act. You are home, in Konoha. Clear your mind, girl."

Sakura focused on him, struggling to do as he said. The fog cleared slowly, realization dawning. She quickly let go of the man she had attacked. She turned towards the blond with wide, watery green eyes. "Naruto! I am so sorry!"

The blond coughed, then smiled hesitantly. "Eh, it's alright Sakura-chan. I shouldn't have come on to you like that."

Sakura turned back to the Hyuga to see him eyeing Naruto flatly. She then focused on the three others. Shisui, Itachi, and Sasuke stood there, looks of confusion on their faces.

Sakura smiled brightly, then proceeded to pass out.

* * *

 **I know this chapter was very slow but it was all I could force out of myself at this time. Next update coming VERY soon!**


	5. Chapter 5: Uchiha here, Uchiha there

_**AUTHORS NOTE.**_

 **I really love you guys. Please feel free to kill me for lack of updates. I'm really sorry.**

 **You don't understand how good your guy's reviews make me feel. I come from a large family and I'm the youngest (18 but still) and I've never been really amazing at something. Average but not amazing. Because of this, my family doesn't really care about what I do. So thank you guys for making me feel amazing at this. :')**

 **I've decided on a pairing. I'm so/so about this because I KNOW I'm going to do this pairing but I don't want to let you guys down -.-**

 **Please forgive me!**

 **All I can say is that it will be a…..**

 **Hidden Leaf Shinobi**

 **:)**

 **You may have noticed in the last chapter that I did not have Sakura use any super skills to kill Sasori. That is cause I am sticking with the theme of her** _ **EARNING**_ **her power, little by little. No insane power-ups. I did not pay much attention to Deidara, but it is safe to say he died of blood loss.**

 **:D**

 **Please, Enjoy!**

* * *

Sakura glared at the two men standing at the foot of her bed. They glared right back.

"Leave me _alone_." She fairly snarled. A pink eyebrow twitched rapidly at the smirk on both _stupid_ Uchiha's faces.

"Sorry, Sakura-Chan." Shisui chirped brightly. He strolled by her, far enough that she couldn't hit him but close enough to see the twinkle in his eyes. "But Tsunade-sama said that if you want to leave the hospital, you need help."

Sakura face darkened as she glowered at the annoying man. "I'm a grown woman. Not to mention the head of _this_ hospital! I know what I need! And what I need is for you to _leave me the hell alone_!"

Shisui merely winked in the face of her fury. "Nope!"

Green eyes sought out the only reasonable Uchiha in the room. Surely Itachi wouldn't want to do anything so menial as taking care of her. She gave him her best puppy eyes, which he returned with an amused look of his own. "Please, Itachi. Tell your crazy cousin that I can take care of myself just fine."

…

"No."

Nurse Lin walked merrily down the hall, on her way to her next patient. She couldn't _wait_ to see Sakura-sama and ensure her well-being. The staff had been so afraid!

Humming happily, she grabbed the chart off the wall and made to open the door.

Lin paused, hearing the loud cursing and various objects crashing. Oh, she knew that voice _very_ well. Turning on her heel, Lin hurried away. Maybe it'd be best to save Sakura-sama's check-up for the _end_ of her rounds.

* * *

Sakura stared blankly at her ceiling.

One week had passed since the demise of the two Akatsuki members.

It was her first night sleeping without the useful aid of sedatives.

And...

The nightmares just wouldn't _stop_. It was something eerily similar to a broken record. Sure, she had imagined her death countless times but never had she actually ever been close enough to it to see the Shinigami.

It was a scarring experience.

Rolling out of her bed, Sakura padded softly towards her living room. Shisui and Itachi met her stare from their places on her couch. She said nothing and neither did they.

Striding over to the couch, Sakura sat down between them, her head on Shisui's lap. Itachi wordlessly fetched her throw blanket, wrapping it around her form.

She fell asleep to the sound of the TV and their hushed conversation.

This time, her dreams were nothing but black emptiness.

* * *

"Sakura," Shisui called one morning. The pinkette paused in pouring her coffee, turning to him with wide, bright eyes. "Why _was_ Hiashi-sama the only one you recognized that day?"

Sakura didn't answer immediately. She poured her coffee then brought it over to sit with them at her dining table. Taking a sip, Sakura observed Shisui's openly curious gaze, as well as Itachi's more subtle one. She breathed out slowly, a small smile lifting her lip. "Well, that's a very long and boring story, Shisui. Are you sure you'd like to sit through that?"

Shisui grinned encouragingly at her. "Of course! I asked for a reason. Silly Sakura-Chan."

The pinkette poked him in the ribs teasingly. "Well, as you know I was not the strongest Kunoichi while on team seven. When Sasuke and Naruto left to train, I sought of Tsunade-sama."

The exuberant Uchiha rolled his eyes dramatically. "Yare, Yare. All of Konoha knows that story! Cmon, skip to the fun parts!"

Sakura exchanges a brief flat look with Itachi, then watched in amusement as the younger man smacked Shisui behind the head. Itachi ignored his cousins glare with practiced ease, sipping his tea quietly. "Do go on, Sakura."

The pink-haired woman chuckled. These two… "Yes. Well, what all of Konoha _doesn't_ know was that two months after I became Tsunade-sama's apprentice, I almost quit." She nodded sagely at Shisui's wide eyes. "That's where Hiashi-sama comes in. He was my knight in shining white armor, so to say. The day before I was to quit, I had wandered into the Hyuga's lands. Hiashi-sama found me. He _helped_ me. And no, Shisui, he didn't spout some random encouraging words like Gai."

She shared a laugh with Shisui. The curly-haired man wiped away a fake tear, chuckling. Itachi rolled his eyes at his friends' childish antics. "I would pay to see that."

Sakura smiled before continuing on with her story. "As would I. But unfortunately that is not what happened. Hiashi-sama basically told me to get off my lazy ass and change, although he was a lot more dignified. I began my kenjutsu training with him the next day."

Itachi tilted his head curiously, a thought occurred to him. "How exactly did Hyuga-sama help you?"

Sakura smirked, a twinkle in her eye. "Well, wouldn't you like to know."

Shisui rested his chin on his hand, peering at her thoughtfully. "Ah, so that's how he began teaching you. Well, you were definitely right about _one_ thing."

Sakura idly sipped her coffee, raising an eyebrow. "And what is that?"

The curly-haired man smirked. "That was one _boring_ story."

He laughed loudly and was out of the room before her fists could reach him.

* * *

Sakura woke to the feeling of being watched. She lay perfectly still, evening her breathing so her attacker would believe she was still sleeping.

Her back was to the door, good. Sakura cracked open her eyes, hidden from the view of her perpetrator. Mimicking sleep-moving, she rolled, grabbing the Kunai under the pillow and facing her attacker in one swift move.

Only to come face-to-face with one sleeping Uchiha Shisui. _Apparently,_ the idiot had thought it'd be a bright idea to sleep in her bed last night. With her still in it.

Sakura growled animalistically, startling Shisui awake. He turned wild black (pretty, wide black eyes) onto her.

She snarled at him. "Shisui!"

Needless to say, he would never be sneaking into her room again.

In his assigned guest room, Itachi smirked. Revenge was sweet.

* * *

"Stop moving teme! Sakura-chan will see us!"

A rustle. A slap.

"Shut up dobe. That wasn't me."

A growl.

"Did you just slap me!? Why you—!"

Another slap.

"Hush Naruto-kun. Didn't you guys ever listen to my teachings about stealth?"

"Wha—? You old geezer! You never taught us _anything_!"

A dramatic gasp.

"Why I—"

"Shut _up_ , dobe!"

"You! _Teme_!"

Itachi shared a slightly exasperated look with his older cousin. While it was usually none of his business what his foolish otouto and his equally foolish team were up to, they _were_ causing quite a ruckus.

He leaped into a higher branch silently, Shisui landed beside him. They both shared a look with Kakashi, the man creasing his one eye at them.

Itachi turned his attention to the bickering pair beneath him.

"Sasuke, what exactly are you doing?"

Naruto dramatically swayed, only barely managing to hold onto the branch he crouched on. "Ugh, teme! Why is your whole family creeps!"

Itachi raised an eyebrow when his younger brother swiftly smacked the blond. "Don't talk about my family, dobe." Sasuke then turned flat eyes to his relatives. "Nothing, Aniki."

Shisui raised a disbelieving eyebrow at that declaration, turning his eyes towards the porn-reading sensei. The silver-haired man said nothing, merely pointing in the direction Sasuke and Naruto had been looking towards earlier.

The older Uchiha peered through narrowed eyes, catching sight of a quaint little bakery. Inside there was Sakura, sitting alone at a table near the window. Shisui scoffed. "Watching your teammate again, Sasu-Chan?"

Sasuke scowled darkly at the nickname. "No."

The blond beside him frowned, then complained loudly, "Sakura-chan's on a date with some _guy_! We have to protect her innocence!"

Shisui glanced sharply at the bakery, but relaxed seeing something that was sure to make Naruto and Sasuke panic. He shared a quick look with his cousin before smirking at the two younger Shinobi. "Well," he drawled. "You're not doing a very good job. Maybe you should take a look."

One look through the foliage at their quickly approaching ex-teammate had the two men running for their lives. Kakashi threw up a peace sign then quickly disappeared as well.

Shisui chuckled as Itachi smirked in amusement. Both men gracefully leaped down from the branch, meeting a not-quite angry Sakura. She had her hands on her hips, her brow furrowed.

"Where are the idiots now?"

Shisui laughed. "Long gone by now, Sakura-Chan. How was your date?"

Sakura eyed him and Itachi, trying to gauge their motives. She settled on threading an arm threw either of theirs, leading them towards _their_ dango spot. "Horrible," she chirped. "I used Naruto and Sasuke as an excuse to get away. Couldn't have been more perfect timing."

The two Uchiha shared a pleased, slightly possessive look over her head. Shisui patted her arm gently. "That's good Sakura-chan. Now that that's over, Itachi-Chan can treat us to some dango then we can go back to your house to play some shogi, yea?"

Itachi gave both of them an affronted look. "I believe I paid last time we frequented this establishment."

Sakura laughed merrily, untangling her arms from theirs. "Last one there pays!" And with that she was off, leaving the two men to smirk and give chase.

Oh, it was _so_ on.

* * *

Sakura sipped on her tea leisurely, sharing a content look with Ino. She let out a slow breath. "It's been far too long since we were able to relax like this, piggy."

Ino nodded sagely in agreement. She tilted her head towards her pink-haired friend lazily and whined, "I know. Ibiki's running me dry in T&I. I can't remember the last time I had a nice soak in the hot springs."

Green eyes brightened at the mention of the heavenly baths. "That'll be our next date then. Maybe Hinata-chan and Tenten will also be available this time."

Sharp blue eyes observed her best friend. Ino gracefully tasted the dumplings they had ordered. "So," she started. "Are you going to tell me why you ran out on Hiko-kun last week?"

Sakura was impressively unaffected. "You know I hate those blind dates, Ino-chan."

"Could it be that there's already someone else on your mind?" Ino watched closely, then smirked widely at the barely-there blush staining her friend's cheeks. She leaned closer, her breasts nearly spilling out of the small top she was wearing. "Tell me."

Sakura laughed nervously, her hand scratching the back of her neck. "C'mon, pig. You know my schedule. When would I even have time for something as time-consuming as romance?"

Ino scowled. "You're going to become an old spinster at this rate, forehead!" Blue eyes glittered. "That's it. We are going out this weekend. Free your schedule because so help me Kami, you are going to get laid if its the last thing I do!"

The pink-haired woman rolled her eyes at her blond friend's dramatics. "Yare, yare, Ino-pig. You're lucky that I've been craving for a good drink lately."

"You know," The Yamanaka pointed out. "You're last mission is still the talk of the village, even with it being classified and all. Being part of T&I lets me know these things. It's only a matter of time before you are bumped up to S-Class in the bingo books." Sakura didn't respond, observing the village through the window of the tea shop.

The pinkette narrowed her eyes in thought. She didn't need Ino to tell her what she already knew. She was all too aware of the eyes and whispers that followed her everywhere she went. It was, so to say, troublesome.

Yes, Sakura was proud of her accomplishments. However, what most people neglected to remember, was that the pinkette was and would probably always be a medic. She didn't glorify her ability to take lives. She saved lives.

Sakura shook herself from her thoughts, tuning back into Ino's rambling. She lifted a hand to interrupt her friend. "Sorry, Ino. I have to meet Tsunade-sama soon. I'll see you this weekend?"

The blond huffed in annoyance, then nodded. "Yes, forehead! Don't you dare reschedule!" Sakura just laughed softly. Placing some money on the table, she smiled brightly at the other woman.

"See you later Ino-pig!"

Ino watched her friend leave, paying close attention to how the pinkette was greeted almost immediately. Sky blue eyes narrowed at the dark-haired man Sakura had walked away with.

Well, that was interesting.

* * *

 **I know it's another short chapter but I wanted to have the opportunity to ask my readers… what do YOU guys want to see? I need inspiration because I'm completely out of ideas right now :)**

 **What scene of Naruto should I write next? Let me know!**


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